what memories do you have of your first ever larp event?
pictures are from the Lorien rusts Gathering events from 1993, when i#t was orignally hosted at the Drum hill scout camp in Derbyshire, UK [prior to moving to its currnet location At Locko park].

Having only started larping at a local uni larp group the gathering [despite its size] was an eyeopening event for me - suddenly seeing people in varying styles but also quality - it was here where i saw units of fighters in chainmail and heavy shields fighting in formation [ a rare feats for most larpers who arent either reenactors or wo regularly play together].
Elie Dress Women's Tahari Black EL Sandal Imperial it was also here where i saw my first weapons stands - and where i saw my first o then then revolutionary [but uber expensive back then] injection foam weapons - the quality of them compared to the foam insulation and gaffa tape weapons thet many were still using back then was like night and day.

we had some side event s as well - including these guys from the SCA.
picture the scene:
inbetween larping i also did some reenacment for a year and one of the things i leart when swinging an uffing great piece of metal at someone else was to PULL MY BLOWS.
itt was sowrd use 101 - and i learnt it well.

move forward to this event.
the fighter ask for voleteers for a demonstration. as noone else s#tepped up i thought id have a go. rthe sword they gave me was effectively a boffe sword - solid core withlittle to no wrappa round it - i had no trouble wielding it [id wielded steel blades heavier that it].
"right - now hit me" the fighter says.
"what?"
"hit me as hard as you can"
".....okey" i thought, and promptly hit him my saftey training kicking in to pull the blow so as not to hit him. the blade hitting him with a satisfying CLANG.

I reckoned i must have hit suitably hard - then the fighter says "is that all you got? hit me harder"

i check ro make sure everyone heard him [ even that young i knew about lawsuits].

so ui promtly did themental equivelant of removing all safties and prooceeded to lay into him full force -only for him to keep telling me to him harder - HARDER.

In the end a combination of exhaustion and shere fustration made me stand down and leave the ring , the fighter crowing about how as members of the SCA they were used to being hit so hard in thier mass battles.

As per the gathering today on bank holiday monday there was always the mass battle where the various nations [called factions] would take sides and bascially have a mass kickoff - lots of fun until someone invarioably got injured enough to need an ambulance - a teicky proposition considering the terran [and which would lead to a fundraising campaign to buy a purpose built land rorver ambulance for the first aid teams to use].

>>9989013I mean, we do actually hit each other in SCA combat, because its a completely different system. We armour the people, rather than pad the weapon. I doubt he was "crowing" but trying to get you into it.

>>9988939 →>Nope, those pics are deep into the scenario.Honest question, since you admitted to being unfamiliar with the game, and the photo shows up very early in the site's gallery alongside pictures from game prep, on what basis do you make this claim?

>>9988939 →>western European games wouldn't tolerate this fine example of Amerilarp.I get it that western europe is a way better place than the US but you shouldn't romanticize it that much.
Shit tier larps happens everywhere, no exception

>>9988980 (OP)>what memories do you have of your first ever larp event?

oh shit...
It was awesome for the young me, but looking back it was cringeworthy and shit.
Regardless I hooked up on it at the start.
Also night-time gameplay was restricted due to poachers were in the area and shoots could be heard uncomfortably close.
Also I didn't know anyone, the rules system was HP based with leveling also shit, but I didn't realized it back then. And my only piece of costume was a cape (other than plain colored modern cloths) also had dickswords and all that jazz.
At that time I didn't even knew that other larps existed and it was back in the time were in the country internet wasn't a big thing and also larping was still kind of new.

Obviously we all looked like shit, but thank good very few people had any kind of cameras back than that they were willing to bring and didn't made shit quality pictures.

Also we were full with weeaboos, in fact most of the organizers were the kind of weeaboos that went to some kind of """japanese""" martial arts class, the other part of the organizers were roman gladiator reenactors.
This was 13 years ago

>>9989541Easy: are they wearing blue jeans, tshirts and track pants in a historically influenced fantasy setting? Do the players look like they actually care?

Speaking of those sausage fences, let's talk about something more positive: in-game/historic food!
Black Elie Women's Tahari Dress Sandal EL ImperialI had to make a fresh batch of ship biscuit for a special program about trail food at work tomorrow, and have made a bunch for myself and some friends. What are y'all cooking?

>>9989728Yes, I've made plenty of recipies from the same books and Townsend. And before its asks again, he's a goofy dork, but he genuinely loves what he does, has successfully made himself the Walmart of 18thC reenacting, makes fun videos, and I can't help but like the goober.

>>9989585>Easy: are they wearing blue jeans, tshirts and track pants in a historically influenced fantasy setting? Do the players look like they actually care?so quality of a game boils down only to clothing and if players care about the clothing?

Also if they care enough and they go shirtless with just pants is that considered above the beforementioned line?

>>9990108>If we use the shit that was just posted as a starting point it will be easy to measure.yeah but where is the endpoint?
Imperial Tahari Women's Dress EL Sandal Black Elie You sure that you can use one shitty image as a base of your idea how to determine a quality larp?

>>9989585During my first serious larp I was the camp cook. It was a challenge because our group had vegan people, but I think we made it work pretty well with a budget of about 30 USD per person for a weekend (Not including snacks which were up to the players.)
Cooking on a open fire was super fun, and because it wasn't a historically accurate larp we made popcorn. Hot porridge in the middle of summer was a mistake though.

>>9990210the "you know it" is a funny argument because apparently everyone KNOWS what quality stands for but interestingly nobody could properly describe it only vaguely and also everyone has a slightly different knowledge of it. Like, if quality is subjective and up to argument.

> It's about the effort of presentation, reflecting the overall quality of a gameSo the effort of presentation reflects the quality? Does that mean that a game with good costumes that has near to zero effort in them (because they are bought, borrowed, whatever) is of a lesser quality than the game with shit tier cloths but the players put a shitton of effort into it, they just simply suck at making the costumes.

Also, how would you describe and quantify effort?

>would you spend 70 burger bucks (€60~) to play this game?well, if it's a high quality game, why not?

>>9990235We know, but sometimes it just gets lost in the regular retardation.

>>9990358The shoes are early norman turnshoes crossed with the mammen shoe. The belt looks like an unfinished modern kit with a woefully modern buckle. The purse is generic medieval with a weird fur trim, but vaguely based on a 14thC belt purse.

This is not to say Burgschneider is bad by any means. They are not historically accurate, but they are super generic is the best way for larp, and good quality. Generic viking. Generic medieval. Generic Renaissance.

>>9990412Looks nothing like 1930/40 civilian wear to me. If you're going to do history, do history, and not generic battlefield cosplay. I do WWII (29th Infantry here), and the worst and most farby are the "Civilian fighter" types.

1: A cheap pair of round toe semiformal shoes will do you better, and you can get them cheap in thrift stores, or pleather pairs new at most department stores.
2: Baggy is bad, go for more of a fitted pair.
3:What kind of button down?
4: What kind of peacoat or blazer? styles change.
5: Is fine
6: Is a fact of life. If this is something that you wish to invest in, then look into metal frames or tortoise shell. 40's fashion is coming back, and is easier to get than you'd think.
7: Just get knit gloves and cut off the fingers.
8: Unless its a repro, I promise you its wrong.

Kelsi Women's Taupe Dagger Brooklyn Haley PSUHwqPLarps are typically incredibly left-leaning and filled with the degenerates and social outcasts of society. I speculate this is because LARPs act as an escape where you can be anyone or anything you want with almost no holds barred; a fresh start if you will. Add this to socially awkward, autistic, or otherwise socially inept people finding a merging point for their hobbies and other nerdy culture and a picture forms of where LARPs materialize from.

This isn't to say every player or every larp is like this, but from my own experiences, and from the experiences of many I have talked to about it, this seems to be the overwhelming theme.

In short, untill the majority of LARPs can adopt a more mature player base, you might just have to get used to it. Or atleast make strong allies.

>>9990735I havent added anything at all this year, as I haven't done anything since last winter. I really gotta get new pics, but I have a maille standard, and a breastplate, as well as new gaunts that should all be part of this kit.

>>9990734I don't have the white pants stuff for years now but here is what I brought to Drachenfest this year.
Armor is more or less the same, though I will have to make new LK cloths this winter as they approached the end of their lifetime (the blue waffenrock is an exception, that one is new, so is a shirt that can't be seen there)
Shoe also got fucked up through the years and repairing it anymore is not an option.

>>9990741>Larps are typically incredibly left-leaning and filled with the degenerates and social outcasts of society.Funny thing is, in europe most of the post soviet countries has mostly right leaning larpers, or at least people who doesn't want to do anything with the left wing. Milage may vary though, shitton of exceptions as always

>>9990741>>9990855I've always been interested in LARP, but I'm of African descent and feel I would be out of place in most LARPs unless I'm roleplaying a traveling Moor or something. I've also been afraid I would mess up the historical accuracy or take someone out of the game with my presence.

Is there a way to do it without ruining it for everyone else, or should I not bother with LARP at all?

>>9991025Just being honest. Also, the Zooter style wide pants you have pictured are not the norm, but are high fashion. The consumption of materials made them a HUGE deal financially and socially during the war. Pick your clothing carefully.

>>9991035Yes. Small plate, late period brigs are easy as you can just remove or add the plates as needed. Larger plates require cardboard mockups.

>>9991292Dude, what? You do you. Historically, black people were rare, yes, but not unheard of in medieval and renaissance Europe, especially in the more southern areas. They were not uncommon in the Roman empire before that.

Anyone who gets on your case is literally a butthurt loser. You can document black people in western Europe for most of history, though granted it is the exception rather than the rule. South Italy, Spain, the holy land, etc are all fair game for populations, and they did travel.

>>9991292>but I'm of African descent and feel I would be out of place in most LARPs unless I'm roleplaying a traveling Moor or somethingwho the fuck cares? if they are being a bitch about it call them niggers and find another larp.

> I've also been afraid I would mess up the historical accuracynot a problem. It's a larp, not reenactment.

>or take someone out of the game with my presence.for someone to be get out of the game just because someone lese is existing in the nearby space-time... well that tells more about the person than about you.

>>9991317As far as I know that is a picture of a saint and not of some random knight in the HRE.

>>9991292If they are bothering you, you could also call out all those uppity people who larp as vikings though not one of their forfathers was one of them.
Gropey and the others gave enough reasons why black people could be found for some reason in Europe. Don't let other people dictate your hobbies.

>>9991414>As far as I know that is a picture of a saint and not of some random knight in the HRE.

You're right on both counts. It is a painting of Saint Maurice by Cranach the Elder, and its not "some random knight", but the personal body guard of the man who commissioned the painting, Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg. Whats more interesting, is that pretty much every image of Maurice in the 1520's is the same dude.

Hiring a black guy as part of your retinue, just for the sake of having an exotic looking dude was the height of fashion in Germany in the early 16thC. Typically well dressed and educated in many fields, just to show off how worldly and monied you are to have a man like that in your employ.

>>9991292Idk where you are from, but nobody here would bat an eye. Sure, maybe you look kind of awkward as some pure white high elf, but thats about it. Also, you can play many charackters in addition to "normal ones" that you can play more convincingly. Just know that larp is a thing that you have to do with your own body, so you have to work around that.Also, don't get angry if players call you out on it IT.

Ps. any opinions on my shoulder armour, first piece i ever made. I needed some bulk for an npc.

I bought one of their shirts last year, the fabric was scratchy on my skin and one of the arms was 4cm shorter than the other.

Still unironically one of the better clothing items I ever had to buy though. Meanwhile you cant even throw Mytholon's clothes in a washing machine anymore without having it shrink two sizes, and still not get the paki sweat shop smell out of it!

I would rank them as "cheap shit" before, "utter trash" now. They were good back when I started larping since they sold affordable stuff with good service, but what is the point of a 49€ jacket in 100% cotton that you cant wash at 40C in a washing machine?

If I wanted to hand wash my random side characters clothes then I would have gotten 49€ of authentic wool instead and sewn some shit together properly. I'm still mad about this. And yes I am partially lazy.

>>9991317>>9991322Thanks so much, man. I've been discouraged when I look up information and don't see much, but you're right, Sorry that my first post came off so defeatist. Thanks for those images! I'll look more into the history of Moors and where they typically traveled. I also knew nothing about
>>9991441, thank you for that history lesson! I have much more avenue for expression than I thought.

>>9991388>>9991414Thank you very much, anons. There's so much work that goes into the historical accuracy of clothing and structures. I know that's a big deal for some people and I guess my first thought was the chance that I ruin that part of the experience for them. But you're right, I shouldn't focus on that possibility as the only outcome.

>>9991443I am from Sudan, but currently in America. I am planning a trip to visit a friend in Germany and remembered there are many LARP festivals there. I was looking up information and got discouraged, but thanks for your encouragement and helpful information!

>>9991562>I am from SudanStop. Go no further. Own that shit. The Sudanese are literally a power player of the African continent, being involved in trade, war and more with every major Empire that was around. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Islamic Kingdoms, Christiandom... The various Sudanese kingdoms fought with and against all sides at any given time. You got more than enough goddamn history to beat anyone who wants to bitch at you.

At the very least, go look up the Wikipedia overview of Sudan's history.

>>9991573>>9991575Gropey, you are incredibly kind and helpful! I admit I know very little of my own history, especially in regards to medieval times. I wasn't aware that my nation had such a rich background to pull from. I can't properly express my gratitude through text, but I am incredibly grateful. I wasn't expecting so much help when I posted, but I'm glad I did. I have a lot of resources I can delve into now. Thank you, and also other anons who reassured me.

>>9990855not bad man, glad to see improvement! You definitely could use some new boots though! If you want i can get you in contact with an Italian lady who does wonderful work. Just be sure to use correct translations when ordering whatever you want.

>>9991292Tons of ethnic minorities Larp. It isn't off-putting or immersion breaking, and I don't know of a single person who judges (atleast in a larp) a person because of their skin. When you're in an environment where you have a common goal, Race is almost always thrown out the window and it more or less becomes prejudiced on what unit someone is in, or on their quality as a fighter or their garb. The same goes for the Real Military. Its an equalizer. Don't be afraid to pursue your passions or interests because of what others might think. Pursue them because it's what you want to do.

>>9991443as far as armor goes not bad, but maybe take a file to those edges before you go running around in it lol. Your next and consecutive pieces will be much much better. Its surprising how much you learn after each creation.

>>9991450Buy your fabric and have your Garb Items custom made for you by high quality seamstresses who also larp. Keeps money flowing through the game and you will be much happier.

>>9991594Also don't forget most larps arent strictly Historical. Many are fantasy based. You can be whatever you choose to be, and no one will question it. (unless you do edge lord shit like half elf/half demon/half wizard bs)

My advice would be to go on Pinterest, and find garb, armor etc, that you personally like, and to draw inspiration from that. Take little pieces from each thing you like and combine it into something unique that highlights your personal flair and personality. You'll learn a lot while you do this and the experience will help you down the line. And if your skin color is to play such a large roll in your Identity, then own it. Be a black Viking. Be a black knight. Just whatever you do, do it well. You will earn far more respect and Influence from that alone than any other aspect in larp (and life) Once you are confident in yourself and your character, others will follow suit.

>>9991630nahz, don't worry I have contacts with pretty good leatherworkers and shoemakers. But first I would want to try to make it myself as I have leftover leather. I would have already done if I hade free time too but it will have to wait until after october

>>9991630That's very encouraging! I was a bit too caught up in what others would think of me. But you're right, I should focus on it because its something I am genuinely interested in.

>>9991633I will definitely do that. The trip isn't for another year and a half, so I will lurk, learn, and hopefully create by the time I visit him.

>>9991636I was too focused on the idea of historical accuracy being the most important part of LARPing. The fantasy aspect had slipped my mind. I hadn't even thought of combining different styles, either. I will definitely branch out more when I am looking through different events.

I feel like I've said thank you so much, but I am truly grateful. Your responses helped my self worth very much. I will lurk and post more every so often as I learn. Thank you again very much!

>>9991747Will historical accuracy at this point is mostly a buzzword for a shitload of people so don't take it too seriously. There is only a few people who actually do care about it and they will either let it go if others doesn't take it too seriously or they are faggots you can ignore.

But one of the main reason why we use it because it's a great reference point, it clearly worked back in time and you can find a lot of sources and even tutorials plus you will have a very clear understanding of of it should look, what the endproduct will look like.
So in a way it's "safer" to go for historical accuracy than for fantasy stuff.
But that doesn't mean fantasy stuff couldn't be just as great or better than the historically accurate stuff. You just have to keep in mind what kind of character you want and for what kind of game.

>>9991630>I don't know of a single person who judges (atleast in a larp) a person because of their skin.I have... interesting memories of the time young me was enthusiastically explaining to three new black larpers why elf racism can create interesting situations for both parties.

>>9993170EL Imperial Tahari Sandal Elie Dress Women's Black>walk in to elven woods, unarmed and carrying a white flag>announce loudly that you come in peace and have an invitation to the elven lord>get a thousend arrows shot in the dick for not looking friendly enough

Is there any way to fix Calimacil weapons that get that 'mouth' injury (That tear near the weapon's tip, right where the core ends) so they'll be LARP-functioning again? Any specific glue or something that I could use, or are they screwed forever?

>>9993429Depends on the setting, and let me tell you that the only elves I met so far were played as humans with pointy ears and a slight superiority complex.
Also massive fags who can't roleplay for shit.

I'm sure there are good elf players out there, but I have yet to meet one.

>>9993951As
>>9994089 said, depends on the kind of elf you play. But if your elf is Tolkien-ish then my advice is: You don't. The elves of Tolkien are, at least in my perception, superior to humans. How do you play something that is better than you in every way?

>>9994220Tolkien elves are straight-up divine beings. Like, if the Valar are gods and Maiar are angels, elves are Old Testament heroes like Samson.

So with the Tolkien approach, playing an elf is quite literally playing a superhuman with crazy physical attributes and innate magical powers, but no real free will.

Whereas with a D&D elf (or most other versions), you have actual strengths and weaknesses to consider. One of my games took the elven affinity for magic to its extreme, with elven society based around strong mages. They were snobs toward people who couldn't use magic, and for good reason, because they were raised in a society where anybody who can't use magic is dead weight.

>>9994733>larp orcs in hungary were played mostly as drunk rockersCan't say that about the german orcs that I know. Those guys are barbaric and conflict seeking, sure, but they're all mature about it and usually have strict guidelines concerning alcohol when they are in bigger groups.

But you've reminded me of a group of undead that were played by neonazis who frequented the larp that I visited as a kid. God those guys were fags, but they were burned alive when one of them drunkely poured to much grill lighter into the fire.

>>9994726I mean I'm sure a majority of them are decent human being. Its just that they lack social awareness and when they're arround others rollplaying 'WAHHG' they get into this hive mentality that they can do or say whatever they want and they usually end up being childish, dickish, and creepy/socially inept.

Not bad guys, and most are pretty cool to be arround in small groups. its just when they're in that 'bro' mentailty of 5- more.

>>9991414>As far as I know that is a picture of a saint and not of some random knight in the HRE.

It's pretty sweet that you can play a warrior-saint all the way from COP to fully Maximilian, no?
Then there's also all the Orientalist painting, which basically allows you to mash up everything from Greece to Persia. After that you got all the 19th century european ethnographic sources to draw from, like photos and collections.

>>9990760hey Gropey, where can i order a suit of armor (incl. gambeson and other required padding) to my size and not just generic sizes?
do mind i live in a shit-hole near Europe so international shipping is a plus.

>>9990741SCA has a better range of ages and political leanings, especially taking regions into account. I mean at the very least it seems to take a "lets not bring politics and religion into this game".

Your best bet is a professional armourer. Where are you in particular.

>>9995543We have religion, but its completely removed from out fuctional system. Most big events have multiple services done in both modern and period fashions held open to the public in private camps.

Politically, we lean left of center, generally.

>>9995547>>9995681King (president of a multistate group by right of arms). Its not the fact that he wore it, but the fact that he knew months in advance, as well as comments made by him and the craftsman that made it.

>>9995781>>9995681Who gives a fuck. Its a historical design. I have period trim with swatzicas on it and I could care less. if people want to be butthurt about it then they can suck my cock. Its not their garb anyways.

>>9990741Yeah, that syncs up with my experiences too with the DR community out on the East Coast. Personally I'm right of center, but silent about it, especially on social media. I'm degenerate as fuck though, otherwise I wouldn't be shitposting on 4chan.

My SCA group is also mostly left-leaning, largely because I'm in a big city barony. But most of us don't bring it up in play.

We have very clear rules. No swastikas, ever. This man was a public figure and leader, who was warned months in advance against wearing. Both he and the weaver made holocaust jokes, on public forums about it.

the most important thing to take away about this, is that he was a leader in our club. He was broke a simple rule, and then made Holocaust jokes about it. we cannot have our club represented like that, especially when recently before that, we have had scrutiny put on our group due to Nazi rally marchers carrying medieval shields and wearing crusader helmets.

>>9995792Isfake is the nation for startup companies, pretty sure you could be able to find some weirdo who started his own forge.

These companies usually are harder to find than normal companies but once you know some people in a HMB/IMCF/ACL or reenactment scene you can easily find a bunch of smiths. Because if there aren't those guys usually will just start one.

>>9995377>A good gambeson Medieval-market.com decent ones or AD1410 (If you want the real good stuff)
>MailleThis is going to set you back for around 356-500e for a decent one www.capapie.co.uk has good shirts
>HelmIf you can afford it get a custom made one, and if not Marshal Historical has good ones
>Chest protectionEastern european smiths are your best bet, just remember to confirm that the seller is legit

>>9996908all of it is shit but in a different way. You could say it's THE most influental US larp solely because so many other game is either a branch of it or comes from it in one way or another (usually hand in hand with some drama)

The main branch is now ran by a guy called Joseph Valenti who apart from being a lawyer is also a grade A+ asshole who tries to destroy any other larp he can and also doesn't give a shit if his larp is actually good or not, he is in for this for the money

>>9996916>all of it is shit but in a different wayThat kind of goes without saying, but is there any meaningful difference to the games and communities aside from which berk is the boss?

How legally distinct are they? It sounds like they are seperate entities but surely the rules and name would be copyrighted, or is it more regional branches and franchises? I've only ever heard of NERO as one blob so the details of this hydra escape me.

>>9996922I don't know everything but somefor example Alliance is theoretically legally separate, it was born when people just got fed up with nero and they made nero with blackjack and hookers because fuck those guys. And then made the exact same fucking mistakes.
Also Valenti tried to sue the living shit out of them I think and did a few other shit too.
also there are more then a few other NERO clone out there.

>>9996922Yeah, Alliance was when Ventrella got pissed and left. NERO International is run by Valenti, who bought it from Ford Ivey and proceeded to make a bunch of bad decisions. I believe he let the trademark lapse. A NERO chapter owner bought the trademark, and then gave it back to Ford Ivey. After the recent player nobility scandal, Ivey announced NERO World, and that after October any NERO chapter owners still running under NERO International would get a cease-and-desist. Valenti is currently in the fifth lawsuit against them; it's not going especially well for him.
Also, yeah, there's the kickstarter thing, which wasn't about buying land; a bunch of money people gave Valenti for improving a larp campsite he claimed to own has disappeared, and apparently Valenti doesn't own the land and never has.
Basically NERO politics are a bit of a clusterfuck at the moment.

>>9999115Absolutely, as long as you provide specifics for us to go off of. Are you going for a fantasy, sci-fi, historically inspired, or some other type of costume? Any particular background you've already got in sewing or crafts? General budget level?